


To Have and to Hold

by kayladchristine



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21581602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayladchristine/pseuds/kayladchristine
Summary: All of Saeran's life, he had dreamed of being loved, and now he got his wish.
Relationships: Choi Saeran/Main Character
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Saeran used to spend his lonely nights dreaming of a better life. It wasn’t uncommon when one lives the hellish life he had. As a child he dreamt of not being tied up, not going hungry, and not being cold. During his time at Mint Eye, he dreamt of laying under the warm sun with no care in the world. That was his dream then, and kind of his dream now.

His entire world changed when he sent out an invitation to test his RFA messenger app. He never thought someone would take him up on the offer, but someone did: a young woman with the name of MC. Saeran thought it was a beautiful name fit that of a princess, so that’s how he treated her. While she was his responsibility, he would wake up early and make tea and breakfast for her, and then he would stop by later in the day with his freshest bouquet of flowers. He picked only the prettiest for her.

Though it took a lot of time and her continued patience, Saeran was able to heed what MC was saying and by some strange magic, was able to escape Mint Eye with her, the current and forever love of his life. Without her, he would be lost and hopeless. With her constant presence, he felt loved, warm, and unstoppable.

His dream of peace was short-lived, however, because the night before his escape, his twin brother was kidnapped, and it was up to Saeran to rescue him. It dampened Saeran’s mood to say the least.

Unfortunately, the issue with the kidnapping didn’t ease up. His plan failed at revealing his father’s secrets, which led to Saeran being attacked in more ways than one. He got sick of it. His new dream became that of living out from under his father’s authority. Lucky for him, Jumin had the same thoughts and called Saeran and MC to C&R the next morning. There, she and Saeran were given permission to live on a private island owned by Jumin himself: to watch over the house there, to harvest grapes, and to have freedom from Korea. Saeran was so excited, he wanted to leave that minute.

But this put Saeran in a bind. All his life he had had the dream of freedom, but now that he has it, he didn’t know what to dream for. As he lay down on the mattress of the bed she just made, Saeran stared at the ceiling for a long moment to think about what he could possibly want. He had a house, he had food, he had a loving girlfriend, he could stay outside at all times. What else could he possibly want?

Then it struck him: he wanted to make things permanent. His life with her, the house, the freedom he had from all of his past. Saeran wanted permanence. It meant marrying MC. Buying a house. Getting his dream job. Saeran got so excited, he thought he would cry. But he started thinking about how to begin making things permanent. First things first, he’d have to get a job. No. That can wait. Finding a job would require him settling down somewhere and he wasn’t at that point yet. What about buying a house? Saeran shook his head. Buying a house would need him to have a job, which requires permanent residency somewhere. That idea was scratched. _Stupid Saeran,_ he thought. _Marry her, you idiot._ It was so obvious, Saeran was angry at himself.

“Saeran?” She asked, knocking on the open bedroom door. “Is everything okay? You have your eyes squinted up like you’re deep in thought.”

“Will you marry me?” he blurted, not looking away from his spot on the ceiling or moving. He realized too late what he said.

MC was hesitant. Saeran knew he shouldn’t have asked.

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean,” he sat up and faced her, “if I ever proposed to you, would you say yes?”

“In a hypothetical situation. What is happening?”

He stood up and walked toward her. “Oh nothing,” he kissed her. “Just making sure you still love me.”

“Okay,” she drawled. “You messed up the blanket.”

He turned and pulled the end of the comforter toward him, fixing the mess. “I fixed it.”

From that point forward, Saeran contacted Jumin asking for part-time work Saeran could do for a paycheck. It was his first time doing work for money honestly and Saeran had to admit that it felt nice. Jumin said he could hire Saeran as a second assistant, but it needed Saeran to be in Korea. He would be living in Jumin’s house in a spare bedroom, for a month at a time, taking occasional breaks to go see MC. Saeran agreed to move back to Korea briefly for this job. 

Jaehee was beyond relieved that Saeran was helping her. Upon arriving, Saeran was handed a pile of documents he was supposed to read over and check for grammatical errors. It seemed easy enough and it was the work that didn’t involve the company too much. It was all documents from different departments wanting approval for projects to expand the business. Jaehee never had time to read them but needed to so she could pass them to Jumin and get his signature.

A few hours into his work, MC called Saeran. He had been wanting to talk to her all day so he welcomed her call. They talked about what he was doing at work, how they missed each other, when Saeran was going home, among other things. He closed out the phone call saying he needed to get back to work and that he would call later. 

After a few months of working, Saeran had saved up enough money to purchase a ring. He knew exactly what kind of ring he wanted: it was a white gold ring with a rose design on the top, with a diamond in the center. He wasn't sure how much it was, but he hoped he had enough for it.

That weekend he looked up proposal videos to get ideas of what he wanted to do. He saw one video where the guy made a huge deal about the proposal with fireworks, a large crowd, and a microphone. MC was the quiet type so perhaps she wouldn't like that. There was another idea where a guy took the girl to the mountains and proposed while on a hike. Saeran liked that one, but wasn't sure if he could handle a hike. He thought through a few more ideas, taking some from other people, and some that were originally his. Saeran believed he figured out the perfect way to propose to her.

The day of the proposal, Saeran had everything perfect. MC had come and visited him in Korea so they could have a nice date in Seoul. It was a cold day so they dressed warm but there was no wind so they didn’t have to fear getting sick. They were going on a walk to look at Christmas lights around town.

They went to a lights festival called Everland Christmas Fantasy, her favorite place to visit during the holidays. Saeran and MC walked around until they got to the Christmas tree in the center of the park. She was so mesmerized, she didn’t notice Saeran until she turned back to look at him, to find him on one knee.

“MC, I know you’re not one for long speeches, so I’ll keep this short. Without you, I would have never found freedom and peace. You have flipped my world around and I could never thank you enough.” He pulled out the ring. “So I have a question for you, and this time, not random. Will you marry me?”

It took everything in her to not scream “yes”, so she simply nodded her head while a warm tear ran down her chilled face. Saeran was ecstatic. He jumped up and kissed her with as much love as he could. Saeran put the ring on her finger and hugged her. His heart was full, there were a few tears from him of pure happiness. It gave a new meaning to Christmas. With this ring, there was a promise that his nights would never be lonely, his days would never be cold, and his purpose would never be empty. Saeran had someone to live for, and someone to love, forever.


	2. Chapter 2

There were so many things they needed to think about now that they were engaged. The first thing they had to do was figure out when they would get married. MC made a promise to Saeran that she wouldn’t make any wedding decisions without him present. Saeran wanted to get married soon, he knew, but didn’t know the exact date. The two of them thought about it for a while, tossing out dates like when they first met, when they first started dating, and MC gave one suggestion: February tenth. It was her mom’s birthday, even though her mom passed when MC was a teenager.

"That's two months from now." Saeran said. They were sitting at their dining room table with a laptop between them.

"Yeah I know, just we both wanted to get married soon, and I figured that date would work."

“MC, that only gives us two months to find and reserve a venue, find a priest, invite guests, and everything else. It's near impossible."

"Well, why don't we cut some stuff down?"

"How?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

"It's one of your flaws," Saeran muttered. "This is going to put both of us under a lot of stress, you know this."

MC looked skittish. "Yeah, well. What else are we gonna do, wait for your brother to be saved and  _ then  _ marry? God knows how long that will take."

Saeran didn't want to be reminded that Saeyoung was still missing. They had been searching tirelessly for months trying to find him with no success. His father was clever.

"Are you sure we can afford this, such short notice?" MC asked.

“We have to. I’ll figure something out.”

Getting married this soon and having so much to do put Saeran out of work for those two months. As soon as they figured out the date, MC went to a flower shop to choose her bouquet arrangement. In a way she knew what she wanted, but had doubts.

“What arrangements are you gonna get?” Saeran asked her.

She thought while looking through a catalogue. “I’m thinking red and white roses, but I’m afraid that will be too much money.”

“Don’t worry about the money. I worked for a reason. But why red and white roses? Your favorite color is pink.”

“Red and white make pink, sweetie.” She flipped a page. “And think of the language of red roses and white roses.”

Saeran thought for a moment before he realized. “Your favorite flower is a red rose.”

MC turned to him. “And what do red roses mean?”

“Romantic passion. And white roses mean purity.”

“In Western culture, women wear white dresses to symbolize how they have kept themselves morally and sexually pure before marriage.”

Saeran started playing with a petal of a lily. “Are you having a Western-style wedding? I’ve never done one of those before.” He couldn’t think of any wedding he had ever been to. This will be a first.

“I am American, so yes. I do.”

A clerk came out and helped her pick out bouquet arrangements as well as boutonnieres. She chose a red and white rose bouquet for her, white rose bouquets for her bridesmaids, and red boutonnieres for Saeran and his groomsmen. She had a plan for her color arrangements.

Following the flowers came the dress. MC had daydreamed of this moment: finding the perfect wedding dress. This one she told Saeran to stay home for. It was bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her dress before she walks down the aisle. It intrigued Saeran and it made him more curious. The longer the wait, the sweeter the fruit, as Jumin once said.

MC took a few girls with her dress shopping. She and Jaehee had become close, like the sister Jaehee always wanted. Along with her were MC’s sisters who happened to be in Korea that week.

The dress shopping began at a bridal store called Audrey Wedding Shop in the Sinsa-dong region of Seoul. MC had seen a wedding gown she really loved there before she went to Mint Eye. Back then she had only dreamed of getting married; now it was actually happening.

She walked in with the girls a little early to their appointment and spent the extra time looking at dresses. MC had her heart set on one dress in the store window, but she was open to other suggestions from the others. At the time of their appointment, a clerk took them into another room, introduced herself to the group as Hwan Li, and offered them champagne. Hwan Li learned that the girls were here for MC and asked what kind of style MC was looking for. 

“I am looking for an off-the-shoulder with a cinched waist and an A-line skirt, so very regal or princess. I saw one that I like in your storefront window. The Kleinfeld dress.”

Hwan Li nodded. “You like that dress? We haven’t been able to sell it due to it being from last season. Would you like to try it on?”

MC nodded enthusiastically. She turned to the others. “Do any of you have a dress you want me to try on?”

A few of the girls shuffled off and found their dresses. Her older sister came back with a strapless sweetheart neckline, and her younger sister came back with a long sleeve lace dress. Jaehee had not picked one out yet.

MC came out in the first dress, the strapless dress. She liked the sweetheart neckline and the jewels along the waist. She went out to show the girls. Jaehee didn’t like this dress as much as she thought she would. Something about the lack of straps made Jaehee feel uneasy. Her sister wasn’t a fan of this one either. It looked pretty on the rack, but she said MC wasn’t pulling it off. So that sent her back into the room for the second dress.

The second dress was her younger sister’s long sleeve dress. This one fit MC really well. She showed the others and the older sister was in favor of this one. The younger sister kind of liked it. She would like it more if it had something along the top. Jaehee was also neutral on this dress.

The final dress was the one MC had been waiting for: the one she chose. She put it on and felt like this was her dress. It fit perfectly, she felt like she was not showing too much cleavage, she loved the sparkles that started at the waist and spread out. It was perfect. MC had to show the girls. The younger sister loved this dress instantly. She saw how happy it made MC. Her older sister thought the dress was pretty. Jaehee had no words. Hwan Li grabbed a veil from the side and clipped it into MC’s hair. This was it. “This is the dress.” MC said, and everyone cheered.

Before taking off the dress, MC asked Jaehee to take a picture of the clip in her veil so she could post it to the chat room. She sent it to Saeran first with the caption “Soon, my love”. She received a text later of two kissy emojis.

After grabbing lunch and manicures, she headed home. “Saeran! I bought my dress today!”

“So I heard. Can I see a picture?”

“Sorry,” she sang, “grooms only get to see their bride in their wedding dress on the day of. Otherwise it’s bad luck.”

Saeran huffed. “That’s so unfair.”

MC kissed his pouty lips. “I’ll make the wait worth it, I promise.”

The holidays this year were spent giving Saeran and MC housewarming gifts. The RFA decided to combine Christmas and the bridal shower into one day since the wedding was happening so soon.

Following Christmas Saeran and MC began working on their wedding even harder than before. They still had to get a venue, a priest, outfits for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and their wedding cake. MC made a list of all the things she would have to do and the order in which to do them.

“Catholic or Protestant?” MC asked one day, coming in the living room with a laptop.

“What are you talking about?” Saeran had been reading a book on the couch when MC interrupted him.

She sat down next to him on the couch. “The priest. Catholic or Protestant?”

“Why would we get a Catholic priest? Neither of us are Catholic.”

“I thought you were?” She asked in confusion.

“I went to church maybe twice. I would hardly call that part of the religion. Besides, you are a lot stronger in your faith than I am in mine.”

She laughed. “Your religion is Mint Eye.”

“Honestly. But go with a Protestant preacher. I’m sure you know of a few that could do our wedding.”

“I know someone. I’ll have to call him though.” She pointed her laptop screen toward Saeran. “I found a potential venue.” It was a church near her childhood home. “I called them this morning and they said we could hold our wedding there for eight hundred dollars.”

Saeran whistled. “Don’t you think that’s a bit much? See if they can accept six hundred. Or find somewhere else that could take six hundred.”

“I’ll try.” She pulled up another tab. “Now, for our groomsmen outfits, why don’t we have them wear white button down shirts and grey dress pants with black shoes? And then this is what I was thinking for my girls.” MC turned the laptop around again to show a short black dress pulled up. It was made of lace.

“Those are pretty,” he admitted. “Are you sure your girls will look good in that?”

“Oh baby, they’ll look beautiful.”

“How do Western traditional weddings work?”

MC closed her laptop. “Well it starts with a piano or orchestra that leads everyone in and to their seats. Then the groom and his groomsmen come out and stand along the stage. Slowly, the bride’s family comes through and sits down. Then we have the bridesmaids walk down. And finally we have the bride, escorted by her father. From there, the father gives away his daughter to the groom, the preacher introduces the family and gives brief announcements, and then prays. Once the ceremony starts, there is a lesson about love and marriage, maybe some music, vows, rings, and then the kiss.”

“What happens after the wedding?” 

“The bridal party goes out, congregates in the foyer, and then the guests are dismissed, except for the families. Then we do pictures.”

“Okay, but what after that?”

“We party!”

Saeran didn’t like the idea of partying. A formal gathering, he could handle, but alcohol and music, he couldn’t. “What happens at the party?”

“Usually there’s food and dessert. If the bride wants, she can serve wine.”

“No wine. Absolutely not.”

“We can do that.”

MC went back into the office to call people and arrange more items of business. She called the church and asked if they would accept $600 for renting the facilities for one day. It took some negotiation, but she and the church secretary agreed on $675. Then she called her senior pastor at her church. She offered to pay him for officiating the wedding, but he said he would not accept any money. The only thing left was to order the dresses for her girls. She texted her sisters and Jaehee and asked what dress size they were and ordered one size up, just in case the dresses were small-fitting.

She texted the RFA boys to tell them their dress code. She knew she had to specify what to wear for fear Jumin would come in and outshine everyone. MC couldn’t have that.

At this point, MC began searching for bakeries and looking at their line of work. She found a few bakers whose work she liked, but they didn’t have any price listings. MC decided to add that to her to-do list for tomorrow as well as going grocery shopping. “Hey Saeran?” She called into the hallway.

Saeran peeked his head in the door a moment later. “Yes, Love?"

“What kind of cake do you want?”

“I’ve always favored white cake with white icing, even though I know it’s basic.” He looked away shyly.

MC shook her head and smiled. “It’s not basic; simple is better. Here, come look at this.” She had some pictures of wedding cakes pulled up. “You said you like white cake and white icing, what if we added some extra dimension, and maybe put in decoration? We can do an icing decoration or add a few flowers. Which do you like more?”

Saeran squatted down next to her and reached over for the mouse. He scrolled through the photos on the screen. “I’ll be honest, I kind of want to do both. Can you find one where they decorate with icing and flowers?”

“Ummm,” MC scrolled through more pictures. “There is this one with a swirly design and roses. We could ask for red roses since that will be the theme of our wedding.”

“Or there’s the one you just scrolled past with a curtain look to it. It even comes with red roses in the picture. Let’s ask for that one.”

MC made sure to save that picture for future reference.

When they went to the baker the next morning, she pulled up that photo and presented it to the man.

“We came to ask if you can make this cake for us.” MC told him, “It’s for our wedding.”

The baker was a sweet man who gave them hot cocoa upon entering. He looked at the photo, “When do you need this?”

“February tenth,” Saeran said.

The man looked at the photo again. “I can have this to you by then. I assume the white icing and red roses. What kind of cake would you like?”

“We were thinking a white cake. It is our favorite. Do we pay you now or after the wedding?”

“You two seem like a nice couple.” He pointed a finger on Saeran’s chest. “You be a good man to her. She is a sweet girl.”

Saeran smiled sheepishly. “I promise, sir.”

“I’ll send you a letter after the wedding. Following the wedding, you have ten days to pay for your cake. Come see me then.”

Finishing a sip of her cocoa, MC asked him, “How much do you charge?”

“For you? One hundred fifty. You are getting a simple cake.”

Saeran bowed to the man, thanking him. “We will see you again in a few weeks, sir.”

This left Saeran and MC with only a few short weeks before their wedding day. They could not believe that they were managing everything on their own so well. Sure, things may have gone a little more smoothly had they gotten a wedding planner, but they didn’t have time to find one, not with being married in two months.


	3. Chapter 3

At long last was the wedding day. Saeran spent the night before at Jumin’s house, and MC spent the night at her older sister’s. 

Neither of them had ever dreamed of this day coming to life. MC had had fantasies of getting married and having her dream wedding ever since she was a starry-eyed young girl in junior high, but Saeran’s life never allowed him to daydream. That was his cruel reality. But now that he had MC, his life was the faraway dream he had as a child. It felt unreal, but filled him with excitement. Saeran could not wait to see his wife in the most beautiful dress she would ever wear. This was going to be the best day of either of their lives, they just knew it.

MC started her morning with a cup of tea. Normally, she and Saeran have tea together with breakfast. She started her wedding morning no different. After her tea she did some light stretching so she wasn’t tense or stiff. When her sister woke up, MC texted Jaehee and her younger sister to come over in a half hour and to bring their dresses and everything.

Her younger sister came in the apartment telling MC about how she wants to do the hair for all the girls. Jaehee brought mini muffins so no one goes hungry and faints on stage. 

MC texted Saeran, asking about how excited he was for today. All he texted in reply was, “Just you wait, princess,” as if he had some grand plan for after the wedding. MC was intrigued, but didn’t push further. Saeran knew how to excite her.

The wedding wasn’t until 4 o’clock that afternoon, so the girls had some time to get ready. What was going to take the most time was her sister doing everyone’s hair one at a time. MC was first so she would be the prettiest. Her hairstyle was going to be a waterfall braid along the side with loose curls.

“So,” began MC’s younger sister. MC was sitting in a chair in the kitchen and her sister had a curling iron close to her neck. “Tell me, is there any drama between you and Lover Boy?”

“What are you talking about?” MC winced as the iron got too close to her hairline.

“You know: the secret love life of Saeran and MC.” The sister dramatically waved the curling iron.

“There is no drama between us. Saeran and I love each other and that’s that.”

Her older sister came and sat down at the counter. “Honey, no relationship is complete without drama. My husband and I have it. We have little things that irk each other. So what is it about Saeran that irks you?”

MC bit her lip. “Am I really allowed to say?”

“So there is drama. This should be good.”

“I hate that he won’t show me his more daring side more often. Saeran has this side of him that’s more cunning and possessive. It’s unbelievably sexy and I long for it in our relationship. Also, he always keeps his hair perfectly combed, which flattens out his curls. His curls are beautiful and he never leaves them out like I want. He did for a time when I was in Mint Eye, but that time was too short.”

“So let me get this straight: you want him to be possessive of you and have wildly curly hair?” The older sister asked.

“In a summary, yes.”

She disconnected the call with Saeran on her phone. Hopefully he got the message.

“You didn’t just tell Saeran any of this, did you?” MC asked.

“Not a thing,” she lied.

MC caught it. “You just called him. I know you did.” She wanted to throw her slipper at her sister.

“Careful,” the younger sister said from behind her. “This iron could burn you. I know you want marks on your neck, but I didn’t think you’d want these.”

MC was astounded. She couldn’t believe her sister just said that right after MC had talked about that side of Saeran. “Anyway,” MC wanted to get the conversation off of her, “shouldn’t you be doing your makeup?”

“Jaehee is in the bathroom, showering. I’ll go in when she’s done blow drying her hair.”

“She’s behind you on the couch.”

The older sister turned around; Jaehee was sitting in a robe with her phone. “When did you get here?”

“I’ve been out of the shower for a while; I take quick showers. I heard your entire thing about Saeran and MC, I didn’t know you were that kind of person.”

“As long as no one tells, I should be okay. Though _someone_ already told Saeran.”

Her sister took a sip of her orange juice. “It was for your benefit.”

MC’s hair was finished so she moved on to do her own makeup. Her younger sister offered to hire someone to do it, but MC refused. She thought someone else wouldn’t get things the way MC liked them done.

One by one, the girls got their hair and makeup done by the younger sister and MC. They all squeezed into their dresses and put on their earrings and other accessories. When MC got fitted into her gown, all the girls stood by and stared in amazement. With her waterfall braid, loose curls, glittery dress and sparkly heels, MC looked like the Barbie fantasy she had always wanted.

Her aunt knocked on the door to the apartment. MC’s aunt had adopted her when MC was a baby and had become like a mom to MC. She had grown to call the woman “Mom” but only because she was the only Mom MC had gotten to know.

When her adoptive mom came inside, she took in a breath. “MC, you look beautiful!”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Then she noticed the other girls. “And you girls!” She was in awe of their dresses. “The lace fits all of you so perfectly.”

“I feel like I’m going to a funeral,” said the older sister.

“That’s because you haven’t seen everything tied together yet,” MC told her.

The mom spoke up, “Your bouquets are all at the church. The pastor wanted me to tell you that he will arrive at two thirty if you need him and your pianist will be there at three to run through the songs again. Why don’t you girls run out and get in the car? I want to talk to MC for a minute.”

The older sister caught what the mom was hinting at. “Yeah, okay. We’ll see you down later,” and led the other girls downstairs.

MC looked at herself one final time in the mirror when her mom spoke up. “She would have wanted this.”

MC stopped. What she would give so her birth mom could see her come down the aisle to the man she loved with all her heart. To be able to share this day with the one she loved the most, yet barely knew. It hit MC with a wave of sadness and realization. “I miss her.”

“I know you do, but she’s looking down at you and is smiling that you have found someone you love. She’s praying on your behalf that you will truly love Saeran with everything you are and everything you have. Promise her that.”

MC clutched the ring on a chain around her neck. “I promise.”

The mom pulled MC into a hug. “I know I’m not her, but know that I have loved you like she would have, had she been given a second chance.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

They pulled away and the mom brushed a thumb under MC’s eye. “Come on, MC. It’s your wedding day! You can’t cry on your wedding day! Saeran wouldn’t like to find you crying on the happiest day of your life.”

MC laughed away her remaining tears. “You’re right, Saeran wouldn’t want this. I’m sorry, let me touch up my makeup and then we can leave.”

Arriving at the church brought on a new level of stress for MC. One-by-one she got bombarded with questions from the pianist, the pastor, her bridesmaids, and the photographer. Carefully and patiently, MC answered all of them to the best she could, including the one from her younger sister about where the fresh flowers go. 

Her older sister came to her. “I have to admit, this wedding looks pretty. I am beginning to see how everything ties in together.

MC had so much to do before guests showed up and certainly before Saeran saw her. She began with the pianist. Together, they arranged the order in which the songs were played, and when to start. Next on the list was the pastor, who had asked about microphone arrangements. MC told him that she wanted Saeran as the only one with a lapel microphone. Third, she dealt with her bridesmaids at the same time the groomsmen showed up.

“Is Saeran with you?” MC asked while pinning a boutonniere on her adoptive dad’s jacket.

Zen came in the auditorium first. “He’s backstage figuring out how to comb his hair. He may need your help.”

“I’m a little busy at the moment. Here,” she handed him the flowers, “go put these on all of the groomsmen and men of the family.” She left with Yoosung and a lapel microphone to go help Saeran. “Yoosung, before I walk in that room, I need you to cover Saeran’s eyes. He cannot see me under any circumstances. Understood?”

Yoosung nodded and knocked on the door. “Saeran, I’m coming in.” He opened the door and MC heard him say, “MC is outside in the hall, but she needs me to cover your eyes so you don’t see her.” He walked behind Saeran and put his hands over Saeran’s eyes. “Okay MC, his eyes are covered.”

She stepped in the room and found a wide-tooth comb to fix Saeran’s hair with. To her luck Saeran had not used any gel or hairspray which would have made things harder for MC. She took the comb and combed Saeran’s hair, fluffing it in the process. When she decided that his hair looked perfect, she moved on to the microphone. MC clipped the battery pack onto his belt and the microphone onto his suit jacket, buttoning up the jacket when she finished. “Yoosung, take your hands off of him and step out for me.”

Yoosung left.

When MC was alone with Saeran, she closed the door to the room. “Are your eyes still closed?” She asked, not turning around. She heard him say yes. Stepping close to him, she whispered, “Are you ready for this?”

“Proposing to you with the intention of marriage is the best decision I’ve ever made. I am ready to take on anything life throws at me so long as you stay with me.”

She inched up to him, closed her eyes, and kissed him gently. She supposed it was their last kiss before they were official.

Saeran almost opened his eyes but MC put her hands over them. “I was not prepared for that.”

MC laughed, “Seeing each other is bad luck, but the rules never say anything about kissing.”

“Wait, kiss me again. I wanna see something.”

She complied and kissed him again, but this time he took her by surprise by kissing her back. Her lips fit perfectly with his as if they were made to go together. Saeran deepened the kiss by biting gently onto MC’s lower lip and sticking his tongue out. She let him in and they stayed in sync with each other until she broke the kiss. Saeran whimpered in protest.

“They’ll be looking for me,” MC whispered. “I have to go.”

Saeran nodded, still keeping his eyes closed. Oh, how MC wanted to see his mint green eyes. “I understand. I love you.”

One final kiss and a quiet “I love you, too,” and Saeran heard the door click open.

MC went back into the hallway and rounded the corner to see Yoosung smirking at her. “I know what happened in there after I left.”

“It’s not like we had sex, Yoosung. Where is my family? We need to do family pictures.”

Yoosung pointed in the direction of the auditorium and MC followed.

Taking family photos was honestly the least of MC’s worries. It was no different than any other family get-together they had over the years. There were MC’s adoptive parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, MC’s grandparents could not be in attendance. Saeran didn’t have any family so to make him feel less alone, MC’s brothers and brothers-in-law sat on Saeran’s side, as well as a few of MC’s cousins. She thought Saeran would appreciate that notion.

Before the ceremony started, MC had to run and hide away in a back hallway so no guests--and certainly not Saeran--would see her. While in the back, she regrouped with her bridesmaids and her mom to go over final order of the service. Her sisters kept telling MC to breathe and drink water and touch up her lipstick. 

Jumin found the girls and knocked on their door. “May I come in? Saeran isn’t with me.”

Jaehee had the ingrained feeling to open the door at Jumin’s command. “Mr. Han.”

He held up a hand and looked at her warmly, “Today I am Jumin. We, as the RFA, are celebrating the unity of two of our newest members. There is no hierarchy in a civil, ceremonial setting.”

“I apologize.”

Jumin addressed MC. “The prelude has begun playing so I am here to gather you girls and have you line up in the foyer for entry.”

“That’s fine, but where are the ushers? Are they greeting guests and helping them to their seats?” MC inquired.

“The ushers are finished with their work and I was informed to give you all the five minute warning.”

“Thank you, Jumin. Alright, girls, I have the order of who you are walking in with.” She told them the order of how the older sister goes in first with Jumin, Jaehee goes in second with Zen, and the youngest sister goes in last with Yoosung. Behind Yoosung was supposed to be Saeran, while MC waited outside for everyone to walk in and get in place.

Everyone left to get in their places and MC’s mom put her hand on MC’s shoulder. “Are you ready for this?”

MC nodded without turning around. “I promised Saeran I would love him. I do love him, and I’m prepared to spend the rest of my life with him, no matter what it takes.”

When it was just MC, Saeran, and MC’s adoptive dad in the foyer, MC went up to Saeran’s ear and whispered only for him to hear, “When you get to the front, count to five and turn around. Then, and only then, can you see me in my dress.”

The music started that invited Saeran to walk out into the ceremony. Upon request he arrived at the stage, counted to five slowly, and turned around to see MC in the dress he always imagined her in. Saeran had found a dress online he liked and he supposed MC found the dress and requested it for her wedding.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” the pastor asked.

“Her mother and I,” MC’s dad replied.

MC hugged her dad and her mom and took Saeran’s hand from the top of the steps.

The pastor began by welcoming everyone, making a comment about how he knew MC and how long he had known her, recalling some memories he had of MC when she was a little girl, and leading the congregation in prayer. Continuing with the ceremony, he opened with comments about how marriage was a holy unity between a man and a woman, both of whom choose to love, cherish, honor, and commit to one another. Having never been to a wedding before, Saeran had a difficult time following what the pastor was saying.

When they got to the vows, Saeran pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. He began reading, “MC, if you have good parents, you probably heard the phrase, ‘don’t trust strangers.’ They probably told you to never go to strange locations under a stranger’s orders, don’t go to a stranger’s house, don’t obey anything a stranger tells you to do. Let’s be frank: you disobeyed all of them. But there was something in you that told you to trust me. No matter how many times I lied to you or misled you, you trusted me, because you somehow knew that was what I needed. 

“Before you came, everyone had only planted weeds in the garden that is my mind. My mother’s were intentional and obvious; she wanted nothing more than to destroy me. Rika’s was basically a dandelion: it looked pretty, and I thought it was a flower, but it was just a weed, too. Without knowing it, you planted a rose bush in my garden. At first I thought your roses were too pretty for my garden. I told you I was unworthy of them. Then I thought they were ugly. That I could tear them out or trample them if I wanted to, but roses have thorns. Your roses hurt me, but they were exactly what I needed. After talking to you that one night and waking up hours later, I realized the beauty of your roses, and how ugly my garden was. I recognized weeds as weeds and I didn’t want to shy away from your rose’s beauty any longer. I did some gardening and tore up everything that had ever been planted: every weed, every anthill, every pest I saw in my garden. When I walked away, I realized I had torn up everything except your roses. It wasn’t a lot I had to call my garden, but it was beautiful and it was yours, and it was enough for me.

“I know I’ve said this before in passing, but you are my paradise. I want to spend eternity with you, and if it means believing in God and not the Mint Eye, then so be it. I will devote myself to you and your God and swear on my life, with God as my witness, to love you with everything and more that I have, and from everything my old life will throw in our way. For eternal paradise, my love.”

The pastor spoke up. “MC, your vows please.”

“Saeran Choi: love of my life, keeper of roses, and first person I’ve ever had the chance of loving. Allow me a moment to share with you my thoughts on the situations you have brought up.

“When I first downloaded the game, I never expected you to be my first contact. I could sense from your speech that you needed someone in your life that would help you, and I decided to do just that. As I proceeded to learn more about you, I saw how broken and desperate you were for someone to love you. I was blessed from a young age to receive love and care from people around me, but you have not had the same luxury. I opened up to you about the love I was ready to give you and when you acknowledged my love, I could tell you wanted to accept it with open arms, but something held you back. I was unaware at the time of the pain you were facing and the scars you would never let heal. But I pushed on. I showed you my love slowly and carefully, allowing you the freedom to choose to love in return. When I seemed to be making a mark on your life, you shunned the love I had. You thought that my love was pointless. Little did I know that you had been manipulated into believing that every form of love you receive is to take advantage of you. I persisted, and you began seeing my love as genuine which hurt you because it went against everything ever told to you. But what determined everything was when you decided that you loved me. You didn’t have a lot to call love and you didn’t know what true love was, but you knew you wanted to be a man that I would be proud of, and you have succeeded.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am of how you have overcome everything life has thrown at you. You held on, even when your darkest days could get no darker. You knew everything would end, and I’m here to tell you that it has. Your cold days in loneliness and darkness will forever be dissipated as I bathe you in the warm, fiery light of my love. You have heard V and Rika talk about their love to each other as the sun, and you may think mine is similar or the same, but it isn’t. My love is eternal, because it is the love of God my Heavenly Father who is showing you His love through me. My love will never fade. There is no night with my love, just as there is no night when we stand in the presence of our Holy Father. I can only pray that through my love, you will learn to see the love of my Heavenly Father and come to claim Him as your own. Then, we will truly be together in paradise.”

Saeran felt a wave of emotions hit him when MC worded her love in such a poetic way as she did. He knew a tear ran down his cheek and he wiped at his eye to catch it.

The rings were next and after the intense speeches that Saeran and MC gave each other, the ring ceremony seemed to pale in comparison.

Next were the unity candles while the pianist played a song about a prayer. When Saeran and MC reconnected next to their party, they bowed their heads and MC sang out the rest of the song as a prayer to bless their home and to keep them driven and committed to each other.

“Saeran Choi, do you swear to love MC, to cherish and honor her, protect her, and guide her toward our Heavenly Father in times of joy and dismay?”

“I do”

The pastor turned to MC. “MC, do you swear to love Saeran, to cherish and honor him, to protect him, and to guide him to our Heavenly Father in times of joy and dismay?”

MC smiled. “I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Sir, you may kiss your bride.”

Saeran let go of MC’s hands and slid his finger under her chin, pulling her mouth to his. Of all the kisses they had shared over the last few months, this kiss seemed to be the sweetest. Nothing in the world could stop this perfect moment, and neither MC nor Saeran would ever let go.

_‘Til death do them part._


End file.
